The Importance of Slavery in the United States

Gilbert horton was a free black man from new york who was a sailor working on a ship and uh his we know that his ship put into port in i think it was norfolk virginia. He somehow made his way up to the district of glumby and he was in george town on the wharf's when some white guys come up to him and say you know who are you show me your papersBasically because they're sort of acting on the principle that any african-american person at large within the district of columbia which is a slave holding jurisdiction is presumed to be a runaway slave unless he can show otherwise so he evidently did not have